<<  -- 11 --  Roderic Dunnett    WIT AND ORIGINALITY

The possible drawbacks with this production were evident quite early on, when partway through Act I Iain Paton's benevolent, divine Astromonte arrived rearstage, awkwardly and clumsily failing to sidle through a ceremonial door at the top of a flight of steps. A most un-divine appearance. Well planned, it could have been a stunning entry (we have experienced, after all, a quarter of an hour build-up to this important first entry). Although coming quite early, it's as important as the late formal entry of Sarastro: Astromonte arrives to take over in person from his agent Sadik the management of the earthen expression of his celestial plan. It's perhaps the one crucial entry of the opera. (Later on Paton simply appears, without any dramatic entry, and slides around in distinctly curious, although maybe arcanely meaningful, attire.)

Yet this Act I moment was muffed -- not so much by the hapless actor as by an (at this point) unsuccesful combination of actor, director, set designer and set constructor/technical director. It's the sort of Ellen Kent-like error that points to a weak production, or to weak overseeing -- rather as second rate curtain calls often point to a less than completely directed show. The fact that neither of the two tenors -- Ashley Catling's admirably if straightforwardly sung Nadir and Paton's beautifully expressive Astromonte -- made much specific dramatic impact beyond the pleasure of their respective voices surely speaks volumes for the essential drab unadventurous nature of this oddly dated production.

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